Care for Lake Geneva is happy to announce that My Team Triumph has decided to not move forward with the Muck-Suck Race over Memorial Day weekend. Instead, the group will hold a celebration in the park on Memorial Day to raise awareness and funds for their cause, which includes providing opportunities for people with diverse abilities to participate in endurance events. Race organizers clearly felt the impending legal action by property owners and community members who had voiced their opposition to flooding the Shore Path with runners.

THANK YOU to everyone who signed our petition to protect the Shore Path, contacted race organizers and reached out to elected officials. Your actions helped preserve this historic lakeside landmark.

Once again, it is utter shock and disappointment coming out of the Lake Geneva City Council. Their most recent brazen act of leadership, allowing a high-volume foot race along the narrow Shore Path over Memorial Day weekend, highlights how disconnected this elected body is with the community and environment they represent.

One has to wonder if any of them have actually WALKED the path around Geneva Lake.

Most shocking is their presumed authority over this path and the clear lack of consideration to the impact these type of organized events have on their environments. This is a slap in the face to the community and organizations that work so hard to preserve Geneva Lake and the communities that surround it.

One would think by now, that the Lake Geneva City Council would consider the public perspective. We are truly disappointed that these so called leaders made this decision without any public notice or input. Had they, they would have quickly learned that:

The path is not a public right-of-way but private property & they do not have the authority to grant this permission;

Where there is a path, it is only wide enough for one person, two at the most, and some parts include make-shift and unstable walkways over waterbeds;

This is not a novel idea, as residents have had to stop these events from happening many times before.

Considering their history around land preservation and responsible development, this brass decision should come to no surprise and serves as another reason why organizations like Care for Lake Geneva are needed.

Whether it was for some nominal amount of money for the city coffers or simply a shiny event the council could point to as "an accomplishment" these audacious dopes failed hard on the job.

Nowhere do we see evidence that they even inquired as to:

How event organizers would prepare the course in order to keep racers on the path and not in the backyards of private property owners who are celebrating this holiday weekend;

How event organizers would separate their racers from those that are responsibly walking the path;

What restoration plans are in place to negate the impacts this race will have on the private property they cross;

Property owners, knowing the special nature of walking around Geneva Lake, have granted permission to the public to walk around the lake. It is understood that this is a privilege, not a right. Hence the sign provided by the Geneva Lake Association (GLA). This bold and audacious decision has not only put those property owners at risk, but it lays the financial burden of protecting their property and their rights on the owners as well.

Let’s not forget the name of this run, Muck-Suck, is in homage to the original name of the lake. It was named of course after the late Potawatomi chief “Muck-Suck” (Big Foot) until white settlers renamed it Geneva Lake. Today, we saw government officials approving a commercialized event during which its participants will invade and damage residents’ property without their consent… an event named after a Native American chief. We can taste the irony while writing this.

For the record, we do not believe the blame falls on event organizers or its participants. Who wouldn’t want to organize a charity race along the beautiful shores of Geneva Lake? And what endurance athlete wouldn’t enjoy the challenges that come with this narrow and rocky path? We find it deplorable that the city has pitted many landowners against race participants instead of having an open conversation with the community about the proposed race location. That all said, My Team Triumph would better serve the communities where they desire to hold a race by communicating with landowners and community members they may impact. This is especially true in cities like Lake Geneva, where the City Council fails to fulfill its duties.

The City Council has shown an incomprehensible lack of respect for neighbors and community members who already deal with increased boat, car and foot traffic during the holiday weekend. This is not to mention the damage that will be caused to private property by race participants. And should there be an accident on private property during the race, who fits the bill?

We also recognize the long-term repercussions of hosting a race like this on the Shore Path. Much like the dangerous domino-effect of commercialization, permitting a foot race today could lead to biking or even motor cross races in the future. It is critical that we make our voice heard.

Sign the petition and tell the City Council to start preserving our lakeside communities instead of simply profiting off of it.

Send a personal message to elected officials, as well! Reach out to the City Council. Call, email or visit their office. Ask them the questions we posed above or ask your own. Let us know how they respond! You can also reach out to My Team Triumph – Wisconsin Chapter, and express your concerns.

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As a member of this community, I support Care for Lake Geneva’s efforts in securing a bright future for Geneva Lake and its surrounding natural habitat. I recognize that we can only achieve this goal through community involvement and education. That is why I am committed to advocating for responsible land development and ensuring our elected officials hear our collective voice. By joining in this organization’s efforts, I will work to ensure this community remains a peaceful and clean habitat to be enjoyed by residents and visitors for generations to come.